[A] US startup called Reflect Orbital, which has an almost sci-fi aim to launch 50,000 satellites into space in the next decade to illuminate parts of the world at night.

In July, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) approved Reflect Orbital’s proposal to launch an initial demonstration satellite next year, which will orbit the Earth and, via a 59ft-diameter mirror, reflect sunlight in 3-mile-wide beams in strengths from moonlight up to the brightness of the sun at noon.

The demonstration in California, undertaken earlier this month, showcased what this would look like on the ground, to the bewilderment of locals, one of whom called the lights “blinding”. Large mobile lights were erected near Mount Whitney, with Reflect Orbital comparing the radiance to that of a full moon.

This provided, the company said, a realistic simulation of one of the benefits of this technology: to help search-and-rescue teams and other emergency responders at night. Other planned uses include bathing crops in sunlight, replacing broken streetlights and even providing solar power for military operations, all summoned by the tap of a button on an app.

— “Sunlight at night: US startup’s demonstration of lighting Earth from space draws criticism,” The Guardian